Fates and Furies

After her first night sleeping next to Lotto, Mathilde leaves to contemplate the morality of either worming her way into Lotto’s perfect life and sharing it with him or doing the right thing and walking away, so he can find someone he deserves. Mathilde returns to her apartment and a hungover Lotto and commits to a life with him.

Two years into their marriage, Lotto suggests going to visit his family in Florida because he finds it weird that his mother has yet to meet his wife. Mathilde argues that they don’t have the money and should wait until after Lotto lands his first big acting gig, so he can return as the long-awaited successful prodigal son. Lotto argues that his Aunt Sallie would sneak them the money for the trip; Mathilde covers up that she’d already called Aunt Sallie, who’d “paid two months’ rent, plus the phone bill” (349).

Mathilde makes another excuse about being swamped at the gallery and says that Lotto should visit by himself, so as not to arouse suspicion that she in fact doesn’t want to give Antoinette the satisfaction of seeing her son. Lotto falls for her reasoning, declaring that the main purpose of a visit would be for Mathilde to get to know his mother. Mathilde plants the seed that if Antoinette wanted to see Lotto badly enough, then she would make the effort to visit, despite her agoraphobia.

An endless cycle of this back and forth about visiting goes on for years until they buy Antoinette a computer so they could upgrade their normal Sunday phone calls to video chats. Antoinette pleads in her ailing health that Mathilde allow her to see her son one last time. Before Mathilde can say yes, Antoinette dies.

Mathilde returns to the family she gave her dog to, in order to get him back, because she cannot be left by another person and requires the unconditional love of a pet.

The investigator and Mathilde decide to carry out phase one by exposing the incriminating pictures, but save phase two so Chollie suffers longer.

Mathilde drives the investigator to her house and has sex with her. Mathilde is disappointed, as she was expecting “a lesbian to have expertise, but really, Lotto had been better […] he’d been better at everything than anyone” (358).

Mathilde starts to move on and enter the acceptance stage of her grief. She takes over business matters at the request of Lotto’s agent and gives herself a makeover.

Much to Danica and Chollie’s surprise, Mathilde attends a party of theirs. Mathilde leaves a gift for Danica and a gift for Chollie. Danica gets a scarf; Chollie’s gift is the photographic evidence that he’s been cheating on his wife by participating in orgies. Danica leaves Chollie. Chollie calls Mathilde and threatens to kill her. Mathilde replies that he can’t because she “died eight months ago” (362).

Mathilde savors the moment of perfect revenge with a glass of Malbec and a French movie on her laptop. She also opens Land’s envelope and reads it. She makes plans to give information files to an FBI agent, who will carry out phase two of making sure Chollie no longer has a career or money.

Rachel and Sallie stop by with their own stack of incriminating photos of Mathilde from the past. Antoinette had a private investigator of her own keep tabs on Mathilde. Rachel and Sallie also reveal how, for years, they’ve intercepted all instances of Antoinette attempting to assassinate Mathilde’s character and wreck her marriage to Lotto.

Rachel and Sallie then deliver the bombshell: news they’ve just discovered themselves, after Antoinette’s death, and hadn’t been able to tell Lotto before he died. They hand Mathilde a final packet of pictures. She is shocked by the familiar face and the series of pictures, accompanied an adoption certificate. A child, Roland “Land” White, born July 8, 1984 to Gwennie and a then-15-year-old Lotto.

Mathilde imagines Gwennie’s life and death.

In Florida, Gwennie ruins her reputation by rebelling too much as a star student. She only has her twin brother, Chollie, and her crush, Michael, for company until Lotto comes along that summer.

One weekend, the group builds a spiral jetty. Chollie ends up breaking his arm and has to be rushed to the hospital by Michael. Gwennie and Lotto take Chollie’s bicycle to a party, instead of meeting him there.

Gwennie and Lotto kiss after sharing a cigarette. She is surprised at how skilled he is for living out in the boonies and decides to have sex with him. When they’re about to finish, they notice a curtain is on fire and end up spending the night in jail.

Lotto disappears for a couple of weeks after they get bailed out. Chollie receives word that Lotto has been sent to a prep school up north. It soon becomes apparent that Gwennie is carrying Lotto’s child.

Chollie and Gwennie pay a visit to Antoinette. Antionette and Chollie exchange harsh words of mutual dislike and Chollie is sent outside so that Antionette and Gwennie can come to an agreement between just the two of them. Deeply religious, Antoinette refuses to pay for an abortion and instead convinces Gwennie to tell her parents she did get an abortion, then runaway and be put up by Antoinette’s lawyers in apartment in St. Augustine until the baby is born. Gwennie will receive a monthly allowance as long as she never says a word to anyone. Antoinette will take care of the adoption as well.

Gwennie announces her abortion at dinner, both for Chollie’s benefit and so he wouldn’t meddle. Then she carries out Antoinette’s plan and signs her baby away. She returns home in a deep depression and kills herself.

Mathilde pities Gwennie’s cowardice and in honor of Lotto decides to give Roland the gift of an uncle in Chollie. Then she changes her mind, remembering what Chollie has done. She burns the box of pictures, but in the smoke, her curse against Chollie evaporates.